Rin Tin Tin

I had a question concerning the emergency brake on my 2004 4runner. It is a 4wd Sr5 with the 4.0 engine. I took my truck in the other day for an inspection and noticed my e brake wasn't holding anymore. They tried adjusting it but said the cable was seized. I'm just wondering if it really is a labour intensive job to replace the cables? The mechanic said he had to take apart the console in the interior to get at it. Is that necessary , the e brake is activated by pushing a pedal on the floor. It's possibly the mechanic just didn't realize the e brake was on the floor and not a lever on the console.. regsrdless, how many hours should it take to replace the cable?